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One Gallon Tarantula Terrarium Journal

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Introducing Joseph(ine) Webster, Psalmopoeus irminia, a gift from another student at the spider lab! This tarantula now lives in a single gallon terrarium on my computer desk. I have had it for about a month now, and even though I promised myself I would only ever get one tarantula, I am hooked!

Here is what Joe looked like when I first got it. The leg span was approximately 3/4 of an inch, and note the orange "leg warmers". Also, you can't tell from this picture, but the terrarium had one, small, artificial plant.I'm a big, scary spider! Grr!... spiders say 'Grr' right?

And... here is Joe now, after a molt, with a leg span of about an inch and a half. Note the leg warmers have been replaced by "lightning bolts". Improvements to the terrarium include a live plant (ivy species) and small chunks of grapewood. The grapewood pieces have been pushed into the substrate for stability (spider + falling wood = squish).Silly human, you can't see me! I've found the perfect hiding place!

I'm not sure how often I will be able to update this thread because tarantulas are slow-growing and require little maintenance. Only the terrarium decorations will show significant change.

In the meantime, here is a picture of Joe's food being gut-loaded.Yes, little crickets, yes. Eat the spinach....

Last edited by Aminax; 12-14-2011 at 01:27 AM.

Well, it seems all the fish in the rivers are dying. Could this be an act of cod? --Colin Mochrie

Never forget only dead fish swim with the stream. --Malcolm Muggeridge

Haha! The bad news is that tarantulas (especially males) will get out if the lid is not secure. Unfortunately, if they do get out it is certain death for the spider. The good news is that many terrariums come with lids that snap or lock into place. If all else fails, there's always tape (but it is a pain to strip off when it is time to feed). Zoo Med makes good arboreal terrariums with this feature, another good brand is Marty Made.

Well, it seems all the fish in the rivers are dying. Could this be an act of cod? --Colin Mochrie

Never forget only dead fish swim with the stream. --Malcolm Muggeridge

With only very few modifications left to make, this tank is very close to being "done". Here they are:

Very small piece of cork bark; For Christmas, Joe got grape wood chunks. One of the chunks is arched nicely, and Joe has been using that as his retreat. If I put a very small piece of cork bark on there, he will be further protected from light in the event the terrarium needs to be moved to a brighter spot.

Thermostat; by far the biggest challenge has been maintaining an appropriate temperature for Joe; I stuck the smallest heating pad Zoo Med makes on the bottom of the tank, and that seemed to help. However, I suspect the temperature still drops a bit too much at night.

Move into little better lighting for plant As stated above, the ivy plant might not be getting enough light where it is, if that is the case I will have to move it to a better place. This is good for the plant, but not so good for the spider if it feels it cannot hide well enough.

Well, it seems all the fish in the rivers are dying. Could this be an act of cod? --Colin Mochrie

Never forget only dead fish swim with the stream. --Malcolm Muggeridge